{"id":2693,"date":"2013-07-20T17:54:07","date_gmt":"2013-07-20T22:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=2693"},"modified":"2017-03-14T18:11:52","modified_gmt":"2017-03-14T23:11:52","slug":"2693","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=2693","title":{"rendered":"Whatever Happened to the Man of Steel? — My review of the 2013 Superman film"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Henry<\/a>By Robert Gillis<\/i> 7\/2013<\/em><\/p>\n

Usual disclaimer applies: Yeah, yeah, I more than understand that Superman is a fictional extraterrestrial comic book character who flies and shoots fire from his eyes. Usual retort to said disclaimer applies: While he never existed, Superman is also an iconic mythical character who has served as a heroic inspiration for millions, made a positive difference in the world for 75 years; he is the ultimate father figure, the ultimate role model, and the ultimate action hero, and a great force of good. Galalically obvious disclaimer applies: SUPERMAN and all related elements are the property of DC Comics. TM & \u00a9 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThat’s what this symbol means. The symbol of the House of El means “Hope”. Embodied within that hope is the fundamental belief, the potential of every person to be a force for good. That’s what you can bring them.\u201d \u2013 Jor-El to Kal-El in Man of Steel<\/i><\/p>\n

Does Superman kill?<\/p>\n

In June 1981, I stood in the long line at the old Sack-57 movie theater in Boston with my best friend David to see the very first showing of the new Superman II<\/i> film. In the movie, three criminals from Superman\u2019s home planet Krypton, imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, are accidentally released, gain powers like Superman, and wreak havoc on Earth.<\/p>\n

At the climax of that movie, after a devastating battle in Metropolis, and facing certain defeat, Superman ingeniously finds a way to remove the super-powers from General Zod, Ursa, and Non. Superman hurls a powerless Zod into a fortress wall, where he falls into a snowy abyss. Non tries to fly, fails, and plops down into the snow. Lois Lane tells Ursa she\u2019s a real pain the neck, gives her a well-deserved belt to the face, and Ursa falls off screen. As Lex Luthor provides some needed exposition, we see Lois and Superman fly off and the movie wraps up shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n

\"Superman<\/a>
Superman II: Defeating Zod<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I loved, loved the film. At the age of 16 I was already a hardcore Superman fan, and this movie cemented Christopher Reeve as Superman for a new generation (and forever for me). Superman II<\/i>: A GREAT film. Not without its flaws and problems, and certainly not without one of the most fascinating background stories for a film EVER, but a great film, and a great Superman movie.<\/p>\n

Now, here\u2019s what\u2019s interesting: Never once since opening day did I think that Superman had killed the Kryptonian villains. NOT ONCE. Since its debut, I have seen the film well over 100 times — maybe more (yeah, I\u2019m a fan).<\/p>\n

An extended TV version in the mid-1980s included footage that had been excised from the theatrical cut (shot by Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner), showing the three defeated and powerless villains being taken away by the Arctic police. That made sense to me; I wondered why the scene had not been included (not at all understanding the history of the second Superman film and the behind the scenes battles between Salkind \/ Donner \/ Lester) at that time. And even in the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II<\/i>, released in 2006, which showed Superman destroying the fortress (and the Zoner\u2019s arrest relegated to a deleted scene) I never thought, \u201cSuperman killed them.\u201d Again, I just assumed the Zoners had been taken away into custody.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes movies take on a life and continuity in our heads, but I have always believed no matter what version of Superman II<\/i> you might be watching, I don\u2019t think the spirit of the story was that Superman killed the Zoners. See, Superman doesn\u2019t kill. In Superman III<\/i>, Clark Kent reabsorbed the evil Superman after an epic battle. Didn\u2019t kill him. In Superman IV: The Quest for Peace<\/i>, yeah, yeah, Superman drops \u201cNuclear Man\u201d into a reactor to destroy him but: a) Nuclear Man was a pretty brainless clone who was probably not really \u201calive\u201d and; b) Superman IV sucked so shut up.<\/p>\n

See, Superman doesn\u2019t kill. Except when he does.<\/p>\n

\"Action<\/a>
Action Comics #42, 1941<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Superman<\/a>
Superman Vol 1 #14,
January, 1942<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Action<\/a>
Action Comics Vol 1 #22
March, 1940<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beginning with his debut in 1938 in Action Comics #1, and well into the 1940s, Superman, champion of the oppressed and the American Way, regularly beat bad guys to within an inch of their lives, and was even depicted, at times, hurling the bad guys to their death. During World War II, comics regularly depicted Superman smashing enemy airplanes and throwing Axis villains to their obvious demise. But by the mid 1950s and early 1960s, a LOT had changed, and Superman had a sacred code \u2013 he would never take a life. EVER. Well into the early 1980s, the drumbeat was the same, Superman does not kill. EVER.<\/p>\n

Now we come to 1986. DC comics \u201crebooted\u201d Superman and erased all of the previous continuity, which would effectively present a blank canvas and a great opportunity to reinvent the hero for a new generation and to dump all the excess baggage of history and previous stories.<\/p>\n

But first, DC wanted to \u201cwrap up\u201d the existing \u201cSilver Age\/Bronze Age\u201d Superman storyline, in a two-part epic called, \u201cWhatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow\u201d (Superman #423 and Action Comics #583 , 1986). The story was an instant classic and arguably one of the greatest Kal-El tales EVER. In it, Superman faces an all-out attack from ALL of his foes; Metropolis is savagely attacked, and one by one the people he loves are killed.<\/p>\n

Long (and very awesome) story short, the formerly mischievous and fun loving imp Mxyzptlk had turned completely evil, killed nearly everyone Superman every cared about, and was about to kill Superman and Lois, vowing to unleash 2,000 years of destruction and hurt on Earth. Superman has no choice\u2026 \u2026 And kills Mxyzptlk.<\/p>\n

When Lois reassures him that he hasn\u2019t done anything wrong, Superman says, \u201cYes, I have. Nobody has the right to kill. Not Mxyzptlk, not you, not Superman\u2026 Especially not Superman.\u201d And then, he steps into a room containing Gold Kryptonite, removing his powers forever. He has crossed a line and he knows it, and he can never be Superman again.<\/p>\n

The story does have Clark and Lois living happily years later, but Clark is now mortal and Superman is believed by the world to be dead. The message was clear \u2013 if he took a life, he couldn\u2019t be Superman anymore.<\/p>\n

\"Action<\/a>
Action Comics V1 583, 1986<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flash forward a few years later to a \u201cnew\u201d Superman and a new comic\u2019s continuity (all events of the past 50 or so years are erased). In Superman Vol 2 #22 (1988), Superman encounters three super-powered Kryptonians (among them, General Zod and Zaora) who have killed over five BILLION people on a world identical to Earth \u2013 and they have promised Superman they will find \u201chis\u201d Earth and do the same. Superman knows they WILL do it. Everyone on this alternate Earth is dead, and he knows his world is next. There is nothing he can do to stop them.<\/p>\n

This young Superman has no choice \u2013 he pronounces sentence, and kills them by exposing them to Kryptonite.<\/p>\n

\"Superman<\/a>
Superman V2 #22, 1986<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But this killing has dramatic consequences<\/span>; over the next two years in the comics, Superman is devastated by his actions \u2013 he is haunted, he is lost, consumed with guilt. He becomes schizophrenic and dangerous. He eventually exiles himself into space for over a year \u2013 as he comes to terms with his actions, vowing never to kill again.<\/p>\n

\"Adventures<\/a>
Adventures of Superman 446, 1988<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In both of these extreme examples, Superman actually killing someone effectively ended him \u2013 he would never be the same \u2013 because Superman doesn\u2019t kill.<\/p>\n

Next up in 2001 is the TV series Smallville<\/i>; it polarized even die-hard fans for a variety of reasons \u2013 one of them being that young Clark Kent left a LOT of collateral damage in his wake, sometimes quite intentionally. It was jarring, and many fans clamored, \u201cThat isn\u2019t what Superman would do!\u201d I don\u2019t want to waste a lot of time on Smallville<\/i> except to say that while I don\u2019t remember Clark ever intentionally killing anyone (I could be wrong) a LOT of people got hurt, or died as a result of encountering him.<\/p>\n

The road back to the big screen: After a 19 year absence on the cinema screen, Superman Returns<\/i> premiered in 2006. People had a lot to say about the film, good and bad, (personally I liked it very much; read my review HERE<\/a>) but there were two very loud complaints: 1) The movie was TOO much of an homage to the Donner \/ Lester era. 2) The movie didn\u2019t have enough fighting (Superman doesn\u2019t even hit anyone)<\/p>\n

Both were valid critiques. To the first one, personally, I liked the idea of closing the Donner \/Lester \/ Christopher Reeve era with a film, and Superman Returns<\/i> did just that. Perhaps not perfectly, but in my opinion, it was a fitting closure to that era while offering a lot to think about and gave us a film that was both sequel (and in some ways) a fresh start. As to the second complaint: \u201cWe need a Superman for this generation! We need Superman to fight!\u201d<\/p>\n

Be careful what you wish for, you may get it. \"Man-of-Steel-2013-Movie-Poster-660x990\"<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Man of Steel (2013)<\/strong> After the modest (but not blockbuster) success of Superman Returns<\/i>, the powers that be decided on a complete reboot, introducing a new Superman as if he had never existed before \u2013 it was brilliant move, made more so by the impressive resumes of the creators: Director Zack Snyder, with a screenplay by David S. Goyer from a story by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan.<\/p>\n

Like most Superman fans, I followed the development of the film closely; everything I saw leading up to the film promised a REALLY GOOD Superman movie, the one we\u2019d been waiting for. \u201cMan of Steel<\/i>\u201d opened in June 2013 to mixed (more positive than negative<\/a>) reviews and great financial success (as of July 2013, it\u2019s the highest grossing Superman film ever).<\/p>\n

As I watched the story unfold I was so happy with so much of the film, hitting all the right notes, making a 75 year old character fresh. I loved the nods to old versions of the character and all the new twists on the legend. I really liked most of the cast. The effects were great. The new takes on a familiar story\u2026 It was all I wanted to see in a Superman movie,. Until the second half of the film.<\/p>\n

For the final hour of Man of Steel, <\/em>Metropolis is pretty much leveled in a relentless barrage of destruction that makes September 11 pale by comparison, thousands are presumably killed, and a very powerful General Zod has vowed to keep killing everyone on Earth\u2026<\/p>\n

So Superman snaps Zod\u2019s neck and kills him. And it was at that point that I realized that the creators of this film made a huge mistake. Superman does not kill. That\u2019s what sets him apart from every other costumed hero. \"Man<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Part One: I loved Man of Steel<\/b> I can devote pages to what I loved about the film and all they got right. Man of Steel<\/i> is the type of film you\u2019d expect from Nolan and Goyer who hit three home runs with Batman Begins<\/i>, Dark Knight<\/i>, and Dark Night Rises<\/i>. There is so much in this film that DOES work. The structure of the film \u2013 not linear but peppered with flashbacks \u2013 works for me. The \u201clook\u201d of the film \u2013 start to finish, is right. It\u2019s a very modern film, beautifully photographed with spectacular and memorable images and perfect dialogue and memorable quotes.<\/p>\n

Realism was clearly the intention here, because much like Superman: The Movie<\/i>, these comic book characters feel like they are real and inhabit \u201cour\u201d Earth. Man of Steel<\/i> is a film that is very familiar with the source material — It\u2019s clear that epic comics such as \u201cAll Star Superman,\u201d \u201cSuperman for all seasons,\u201d “For Tomorrow” and “Superman Birthright,\u201d definitely influenced the script.<\/p>\n

And the changes to the legend — introduction of the codex, Jonathan\u2019s sacrificing his own life to protect Clark\u2019s secret, Lois knowing Clark\u2019s secret from the get-go, and much more \u2013 it all works. There were hundreds of aspects of this film that I loved, that\u2019s I\u2019d hope to see realized, and loved. And as a fan of Kal-El, I loved that the writers peppered the film with a ton of “Easter eggs,” that is, nods to every previous incarnation of our hero (I even noticed the exploded moon Wegthor!).<\/p>\n

They got so much right. For example: Krypton \u2013 there has never been a Krypton like this — The depiction of Krypton is vibrant and exactly what one would hope for \u2013 a vivid, \u201creal\u201d planet with bizarre topography, its own flora and fauna, cities, social classes, and very human people with their flaws and achievements. \"superman-man-of-steel-cast-bf97322d-sz600x337-animate\"<\/a>A Krypton that feels truly — ALIEN.  Sure, there are military battles and robots, but the design of Krypton — from the armor to the clothing to the incredible new Kryptonian glyphs and language, to everything that makes Krypton a real “alien planet” — it all works.   The special effects \u2013 for the first half of the movie\u2014are perfect and enhance the experience. The music is very different and I miss having a new \u201cSuperman Anthem\u201d but it works.<\/p>\n

And what a cast! Russell Crowe has replaced Marlon Brando as my favorite Jor-El, a scientist AND also bad ass. I really like Ayelet Zurer, who plays Lara \u2013 her character arc is so tragic yet she is wonderful in the role.  In her short time on screen she really sells the roles of loving wife, mother to Kal, and scientist (she is the one who launches her son to Earth) and even after Zod kills Jor-El, she stands up to him.  “His name is Kal.  Son of El.”<\/p>\n

On a side note, I LOVE that the main character is referred to as “Kal” or “Kal-El” for so much of the film — I have always loved Superman’s real name.<\/p>\n

Henry Cavill is perfectly cast as Kal-El — he looks like he stepped out of the comic book. He is believable as the vulnerable, yet still powerful Clark\/Superman. He plays the role as stoic, brooding, warm, genuine, kind, lonely, and sensitive. He has to carry a lot of the film, and he succeeds. From the moment you meet him on the fishing boat, you like the guy. He saves workers on an oil rig, he protects a waitress from the advances of a belligerent trucker, and as the back story unfolds we learn he has been protecting and saving people — quietly — his entire life. But he has to hide his abilities, so when someone catch on to what he can do, he needs to move on. Cavill plays Clark as a drifter, a loner by necessity, someone who has the ability to help, but has been taught to hide these abilities to protect the people around him — and himself. Henry Cavill IS Superman. He IS Superman for a new generation.  I’d really like to meet Henry and thank him for his work on this film.<\/p>\n

“…For some, he was a guardian angel. For others, a ghost, who never quite fit in.” — Lois Lane. \"MAN<\/a>I loved Amy Adams as Lois Lane. She\u2019s a driven investigative Pulitzer prize winning reporter, who claims, “I get writers’ block if I’m not wearing a flack jacket,” and puts together the story of mystery savior Clark Kent very quickly (and believably).<\/p>\n

It’s a departure from the usual mythos to have Lois figure out Superman’s secret so quickly, and a welcome change to the story. She is NEVER a damsel in distress, and is, in fact, instrumental in the ultimate plan to defeat the evil Kryptonians. LOVED it. Amy Adams sold me in every scene she was in; she really impressed me both as an actress and how she portrayed Lois.<\/p>\n

The scene where Clark and Lois meet at Jonathan Kent’s grave sums up the blossoming relationship between Clark and Lois:<\/p>\n

Lois Lane: “Where are you from? What are you doing here? Let me tell your story.”
\nClark Kent: “What if I don’t want my story told?”
\nLois Lane: “It’s going to come out eventually. Somebody’s gonna get a photograph or figure out where you live.”
\nClark Kent: “Well then I’ll just disappear again.”
\nLois Lane: “The only way you can disappear for good is to stop helping people all together, and I sense that’s not an option for you.”
\nClark Kent: “My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they’d reject me out of fear.”<\/p>\n

And in the next scene, we see Lois tell Daily Planet editor Perry White she’s dropping the story. Loved it.  Amy IS Lois Lane.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/a>
Michael Sharron as Zod<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michael Shannon\u2019s Zod is a dimensional persona, not a comic book madman but a genetically engineered military leader whose sole purpose is to protect Krypton. He plays the role compelling, complex, and at times, quite sympathetic. Sorry Terrance Stamp, but I have a new favorite General Zod, too! “We could have built a new Krypton in this squalor, but you chose the humans over us. I exist only to protect Krypton, that is the sole purpose for which I was born. And every action I take, no matter how violent, or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people. And now I have no people. My soul, that is what you have taken from me!” — General Zod<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/a>
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m a little on the fence about both Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha; they are both exceptionally accomplished actors, I can\u2019t put my finger on it but their performances lack.. I don\u2019t know\u2026 depth? Feeling? Except for when Jonathan hugs young Clark and says, \u201cYou are my son,\u201d the Kent\u2019s come across as somewhat cold people. When Clark tells Martha he found his people, Diane Lane conveys this awkward, \u201cAw, that\u2019s nice, I\u2019m so happy for you\u201d that I didn\u2019t understand. They love him, they show that love, but there is a distance<\/span> between them and their adopted son that I don\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

As Perry White, Lawrence Fishburn doesn\u2019t have a lot to do, but shines in the scenes he’s in, and he\u2019s Morpheus and we love him so he gets a pass.<\/p>\n

Hans Zimmer’s score is excellent and fits the mood of the film quite well. While there is no “epic theme” like John Williams Superman theme, the music, throughout the movie, really enhances everything we see. It’s not at all a memorable soundtrack, but it’s very good. And despite my serious misgivings about the storytelling at the end of the film, the scene where Clark bikes to the Daily Planet for his first day on the job is enormously enhanced by the music — and the theme, building, building until Lois Lane and new reporter Clark Kent meet “for the first time” is amazing — I get goosebumps each time I watch the scene. The music playing as Clark learns to fly: Equally awesome.<\/p>\n